Since the discovery of the first exoplanets 20 years ago,
the field has expanded rapidly. More than 3,000 confirmed
planets are now known outside of our solar system. This is
the start of a new era in exoplanet science, where we go
beyond measuring planetary mass and radius and begin to
probe their atmospheres. Such observations provide a
critical step in our understanding of planet formation and
are key to assessing the potential habitability of
exoplanets. We currently utilize a variety of methods to
detect and characterize exoplanets, and upcoming missions
will have the potential to detect signatures of life on
distant worlds.